You shall not make other gods besides Me; gods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make for yourselves.
—Exodus 20:23
God did not accept any kind of man-made representation of Himself. He is not from this world, so there is nothing around here that properly represents Him...not even a silver cross worn ‘round the neck. Today, the only acceptable physical symbol to be found in the worship assembly are the bread and the cup which represent the body and blood of Jesus.
God also told Israel:
God also told Israel:
You shall make an altar of earth for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you. And if you make an altar of stone for Me, you shall not build it of cut stones, for if you wield your tool on it, you will profane it.The word ‘profane’ means, to make common or vulgar. God is holy and insists that His created beings treat Him as holy. So, an altar made of rocks that God had created was acceptable. Yet, an altar made of ‘cut’ stones was unacceptable. Cut stones bore the markings of man’s tools and God did not accept an altar that bore the imprint of man.
—Exodus 20:24-25
And you shall not go up by steps to My altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed on it.'
—Exodus 20:26
This instruction is related to the previous. Not only did God restrict the people from putting their own handiwork on an altar, He insured that the worshiper would not be distracted through accidental indecency. In short, God did not want anything pertaining specifically to man to crowd in and distract the pure devotion and worship that belonged to Him.
The Israelites had received very specific instructions regarding the construction of the original tabernacle. Special craftsmen were set apart by God to perform the actual work on the tabernacle and its furnishings. They were filled with the Holy Spirit in order to do the work exactly as God desired. Their work was not their own. It was acceptable to God because the Holy Spirit performed through these men. (Exodus 31:1-11)
When people see the artistry and craftsmanship of the things produced by man, they admire the artist; the craftsman. In great contrast, any man who laid eyes on the craftsmanship of the tabernacle and its furnishings must have seen an ‘other-worldly’ level of craftsmanship. It must have inspired a sense of awe toward God.
I believe there is a simple principle at work:
When we come together as the body of Christ to worship God, He does not want worship that bears the imprint of man, but worship that bears the imprint of God.
It is God’s desire that we worship with our minds and our hearts. He desires worship that emerges from man's inner being with genuine intent.
If our songs are so cleverly written that we are distracted from God, man has become the attraction. When our teaching is ‘coffee shop’ and preaching dissolves into clever oratory, storytelling and humor man is the attraction. If we bring in objects of remembrance other than the bread and the cup, will we not profane the worship?
We must simply worship in spirit and in truth.
The Israelites had received very specific instructions regarding the construction of the original tabernacle. Special craftsmen were set apart by God to perform the actual work on the tabernacle and its furnishings. They were filled with the Holy Spirit in order to do the work exactly as God desired. Their work was not their own. It was acceptable to God because the Holy Spirit performed through these men. (Exodus 31:1-11)
When people see the artistry and craftsmanship of the things produced by man, they admire the artist; the craftsman. In great contrast, any man who laid eyes on the craftsmanship of the tabernacle and its furnishings must have seen an ‘other-worldly’ level of craftsmanship. It must have inspired a sense of awe toward God.
I believe there is a simple principle at work:
When we come together as the body of Christ to worship God, He does not want worship that bears the imprint of man, but worship that bears the imprint of God.
It is God’s desire that we worship with our minds and our hearts. He desires worship that emerges from man's inner being with genuine intent.
If our songs are so cleverly written that we are distracted from God, man has become the attraction. When our teaching is ‘coffee shop’ and preaching dissolves into clever oratory, storytelling and humor man is the attraction. If we bring in objects of remembrance other than the bread and the cup, will we not profane the worship?
We must simply worship in spirit and in truth.
Mark Stinnett
February 9, 2020
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments are welcome from all readers. Please be respectful toward others who post comments. Choose your words wisely.